Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Big Big Brother

I am so happy when the big guy pays attention to his little siser. He is the anti-Little Guy. He is not constantly in her face talking to her and trying to kiss her. He will occasionally read to her and lately likes to jump from behind her and scream "boo". Both boys have become exceptional in their fake sneeze skills. He has a good view of her in the car and will tell me if her hat covers her eyes or if she is sleeping. He isn't too preoccupied with her. I'm just relieved he isn't jealous or annoyed by her (that could change when she starts getting in to his stuff).

The Big Guy asked for a baby sister long before I was pregnant and even named her. He prayed to God for a sister in our family and by the time we knew we were having a girl, we couldn't rename her something else. My husband said it would be like renaming one of our children. The Big Guy couldn't wait to find out if I was having a girl or a boy. When I told him it was a girl the fists were pumping and there was jumping for joy. [He wanted "no more brothers."]

As the pregnancy went on he became really concerned about the details of incorporating her into our family. He woke me many mornings with a question or concern. The ones I can remember are:

We don't have any baby stuff. How will we take care of her?We don't have any baby toys. When will we get some?Where will she sleep when she is too big for the crib? (repeated weekly)When will she move into my room?Where will we put her bed when she moves to my room?How will we paint half the room pink and half blue (he assumed she would eventually move to his room because his little brother did).Where will her car seat go? How will we keep her off of our playhouse? Can you keep her on the deck?How will they get her out? Will it hurt? Do they have to bust a hole in you? What will they use - a hammer? (My Little Guy asked how they got her out for at least 2 months after she was born.)

That list is lengthy so I will end it there event though there were many more.

There was more and more tension from him the closer my due date approached. I don't know if he was nervous about the baby or me going to the hospital. Even his teachers knew he was on edge and were nervous about what would happen when the Baby Girl actually arrived. It must have been a big relief to him to know both of us were fine and the world still revolved around him as usual. He was much more easy going after the big event.

The Big Guy has now said that he wants the fourth baby to be a boy. Whoooaaaaa!

This post is just precious. I love it! What a fun memory to record- some day when your son is older he and his little sister will have fun reading some of the things he wondered about before she was born. So cute.

It's interesting to see how older siblings adapt to the new little ones. I think I've had a similar experience to yours, with our three kids being about the same ages.

Those pictures are so sweet. He's just taking his sweet time, reading his little sis a book. She'll always be protected by her big brothers, and that'll be especially nice for YOU when she's in high school. :)